The Last Roman

by Adrian Murdoch

The Last Romulus Augustulus and the Decline of the West

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Ancient History

190 pages, Hardcover

First published November 23, 2006

Reviews

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

By narrating the story of end of the Western Empire rather than promulgating a thesis about its decline, Murdoch is able to disentangle the murky history of Italy in the 5th century. It's an excellent resource for anyone trying to understand this fascinating period. Romulus Augustulus only merits a few paragraphs, but that's all that remains of him.

[Alistair Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Romulus Augustulus was the last emperor of the Western Empire, very little is actually about him and his life and to be honest this book doesn't shed much light on it. What is probably clear is that this version in the film "the last legion" certainly isn't based on any actual evidence (it's an excellent film though)
To say this book is padded out is an understatement. Essentially it boils down to a mention of his father being in Atilla's service, some references in literature, a reconfirmation of a land grant and a reference in a letter to another letter from Romulus which the author declares may well refer to the former emperor. It's all pretty thin stuff with as i say the rest being padding about events of the end of the western empire and what was going on in Byzantium at the time. There are about 150 pages of actual text so it is a short enough read.
There are some photos, the majority of which do not relate to Romulus. So essentially we have a short book about the period of the end of the western empire which I really can't see the point of.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because so little is known about Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman Emperor in the West, Adrian Murdoch's book, "The Last Roman", is actually about the history of Italy in the fifth and early sixth centuries AD. This was a time of catastrophe and collapse, when the Roman Empire, and indeed Classical civilisation, ended in the West. Murdoch provides an interesting account of the major personalities, events and literature of the time. His somewhat random final chapter, which summarises the afterlives of three of the chief characters, Emperor Romulus himself, Odovacer and Theoderic, the Gothic kings of Italy, and Attila the Hun, in later literature, art and films, is actually very interesting. The book provides a wealth of references which have spurred me on to further reading. It ends with a thought-provoking comparison with our own contemporary situation in the West. This is a highly readable and informative book.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

my review